Senior dining program returning to Eastpointe

EASTPOINTE — Eastpointe seniors will be able to get a hot lunch any weekday at the Eastpointe Community Center on Eight Mile Road once again.

The Macomb County Community Services Agency’s Office of Senior Services is bringing the Dining Senior Style program back to the city Aug. 18. Once running, seniors can come to the community center around 11 a.m. Monday through Friday, including holidays, and get a hot, nutritious meal at a suggested cost-share of $3 per person.

According to Kristin Ledford, spokeswoman for Macomb County, the program used to be at the Eastpointe Community Center before the city merged its recreation department with Roseville’s.

“We found that there’s a need to have one there, so we worked with the city and the Breath of Life Christian Church that operates out of the building,” Ledford said. “They’re letting us come in and use the kitchen there.”

Ledford said the meals are identical to the ones served as part of the Meals on Wheels program — which will be able to use the kitchen as a pickup area for meals — and they all meet a third of the recommended dietary allowances for the seniors, such as low salt.

Katherine R. Benford, director of the Office of Senior Services, thanked the city and the church for letting them bring it back to Eastpointe, she said in a statement.

“Thanks to collaboration with Breath of Life Christian Church and the Recreation Authority of Roseville and Eastpointe, who own and operate the building, we are able to bring a much-needed service back to this community,” Benford said.

Currently, the local Meals on Wheels volunteers pick up the food at the Roseville-Eastpointe recreation center or at the Leisure Manor.

Ledford said opening up the Eastpointe community center for them should free up space at those two places. It also should be closer to both the volunteers and the seniors signed up for the program.

Seniors who come in are welcome to play games and socialize, as well, Ledford said.

“It’s the same thing as a Meals on Wheels meal, but it’s for people still able to get out,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to have a social setting where you can get out and eat lunch with your friends and know it’s good for you.”

The Eastpointe location should have the capacity to serve 30 meals a day, Ledford said, though that could grow. There are 20 Dining Senior Style locations throughout Macomb County, she added.

The community center is located at 16435 E. Eight Mile Road. The menu can be found at the website www.macombcountymi.gov/seniorservices/dss.htm. For more information, call the Office of Senior Services at (586) 469-5228.